The Winner Takes It All
by Jedi Goat
Summary: Shippuden. Ino's fed up with always placing second to her rival, Sakura. That's when an unlikely someone offers a word of insight… Neji/Ino if you squint XD


**The Winner Takes It All**

Jedi Goat

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. Neither is the ABBA song of the same title.

Author's Note: Ha ha, this is random. I just kind of felt writing something in defense of Ino after how weak she (IMHO) has been portrayed lately in the anime. And of course it _had_ to have Neji in it, so there you go ;) Fits quite nicely with _Break Away_, my Neji one-shot.

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Ino Yamanaka sighed, gazing wistfully at the clear blue sky above. Today was truly turning into a beautiful day – there wasn't a cloud in the inviting abyss, birds cart-wheeling freely above. The sun cascading through the window was warm on her back as she turned away, regarding the mountains of paperwork surrounding the Hokage's desk. Lately, Lady Tsunade had been more lenient than usual in regards to her duties; she now slumped at her desk, bleary-eyed, lips twisted into a ferocious grimace as she squinted at a lengthy scroll. A steaming cup of coffee wasn't far from her grasp.

Ino returned to flipping through papers with a frown. D-rank mission requests – she always wondered why people couldn't get half these things done themselves. Yard work? Finding a lost cat? They were shinobi for God's sake…

Neatly arranging the papers, she set them aside and began collecting mission reports. As Shizune was currently away on a mission, that left her to baby-sit the Hokage. Ino would've preferred the mission; anything would be better than being cooped up inside on a day like today. She was certain every other member of the old rookie nine had some sort of exciting duty, if not, some form of training to exert themselves; even immature Naruto had feverishly taken to training lately. They were all growing up so fast, so strong; it made her wonder what she was doing, herself.

Lady Tsunade glanced up at her groggily over the rim of her coffee. "We don't have anything stronger than this, do we?"

Ino shook her head. She was pretty sure the Hokage was hung over, too – Ino wanted to say something, but bit her lip. The Hokage was still her boss, and if she denounced her habits – particularly procrastination and drinking – well, she was _so_ dead. Ino only sighed, flicked back a rebellious lock of her hair, and resumed sorting scrolls.

D-ranks… ANBU report… Ino's eyes began to drift when she heard the door burst open. The stack she had been adjusting toppled to the floor, papers scattering everywhere. Hoping her irritable superior hadn't noticed, she dove behind the mounds of paperwork to hastily recuperate them.

Through the stacks of paper and scrolls she caught sight of a familiar pink-haired figure striding into the room. She immediately caught her breath, silently listening in.

"Lady Tsunade, you called?" Sakura bowed politely in front of the desk, stiff and at attention.

"Yes…Sakura…" Tsunade shuffled papers, seemingly in an effort to break her daze. "Of course you remember your mission last week, to capture the Three-Tails."

"Of course, Milady," she murmured, lowered voice slightly troubled. Ino had been on that mission as well; even with the combined efforts of the Leaf shinobi, they hadn't succeeded in tempering the beast.

"Well, we lost all contact with the ANBU guarding the beast. We suspect the Akatsuki may be involved again. I'm sending your squad out to investigate – but do not endanger yourselves at any cost. You're too valuable to the village."

"_Hai_!" Sakura said, nodding fiercely. "You can trust us, Lady Hokage!"

"Good, I expected as much." Tsunade yawned, peering about the room. "Ino, where are you? I need another cup of coffee."

Ino hastily jumped up, busily shuffling papers. "_Hai_," she concurred, "I'll get it right away." She slammed down the papers on the desk and exited with Sakura without looking at her rival.

Outside, Sakura murmured, "I can't believe they found it so fast. The Akatsuki, I mean…"

Ino forced herself to smile. "Well, I suppose you're the lucky ones. Lady Tsunade must trust you a lot to send you after them again." Silently she recalled Sakura herself had assisted in taking down one of the Akatsuki. She had become unbelievably strong… Ino didn't know why her eyes were suddenly burning, or why, at that moment, she just wanted her rival to go away.

"Good luck," she said shortly, turning down the hall. Her stride was purposeful though her hands were trembling – she clenched them into fists, staring straight ahead.

Sakura gazed after her a moment in puzzlement, her surprised "Thank you…?" lost on her sometimes-best friend and constant rival.

When she was alone Ino sank heavily against the wall, drawing her knees to her chest as she sat there a long moment. Outside the sky was perfectly clear – but her eyes were stormy.

"Sakura-chan's so strong…" she mumbled. _Unlike me… _How many times had she felt utter helplessness clawing at her, dragging her down on her missions? When she and Shikamaru had faced down Kujaku of the Four Celestials, that woman with the swords that tempered the wind, she'd been frozen – unable to do anything. It had been the Sand kunoichi Temari who fiercely countered, blow-for-blow, allowing an opening for Shikamaru's jutsu to strike.

_It should have been me,_ she reproached herself, as she had so vehemently after that mission. _I was partnered with him – yet I only hampered him with my weakness…_

Ino remembered then her promise to become a medical ninja, to hone her chakra and learn from Lady Tsunade herself. But things hadn't changed since then; on their quest for the Three-Tails she couldn't manage the constant chakra flow the other kunoichi held with ease. It was becoming painfully clearer that _she _was the weakest – useless – only a burden to all of them…

_Unlike you, Sakura-chan…_

Once it had been different. During their genin days, Ino had dominated their rivalry. She was fresh from the academy where she'd boldly ranked highest in taijutsu among the girls; and her jutsu meshed perfectly with the abilities of her teammates, making them a powerful force. So what if Sakura had lucked out in having Sasuke on her team…? Sakura had nothing, then; her only aspect above average was her overly large forehead. Ino had endlessly mocked her for it, picking on her failures as she gloated in her success. But now…

_Sakura has everything, _she reflected gloomily. The pink-haired medic was always Lady Tsunade's favorite. From her mentor, she'd inherited impossible strength. Even then, Sakura excelled at medical ninjutsu – all the medics only ever raved of her. And her team was so powerful – who would've thought, her and Naruto…

Even the "dead-last" was better than her. Ino blinked back tears.

"I've been trying so hard – _so_ hard to be like them," she mumbled. "How did it happen? How can I be dead-last?"

Vaguely she recalled Tsunade requesting her coffee – but this only worsened Ino's feelings. _Sakura-chan's out on a mission, and all I ever get do to is fetch coffee,_ she reflected darkly. _I was right there in her office all morning – she could have asked me, but no… Sakura-chan's the only one she ever thinks of._

With a sigh Ino rose, straightening her shoulders bravely. She checked her reflection in the window pane, brushing at her reddened eyes – God, it was obvious she'd been crying. She covered the worst of the tearstains with her long bangs and headed off to do Lady Tsunade's bidding.

_If I am such a failure,_ she thought, _maybe it's best if this doesn't go on. I don't need to look at Sakura's face and know that she's thinking she's won – if I can't keep up with her, then maybe…_

_Maybe I shouldn't be a ninja at all._

***

"Hey, Ino!"

She glanced up, lost in thought, and blinked in surprise. Her teammates were standing in Lady Tsunade's office, Choji waving at her and grinning, a bag of chips clenched in his other fist. Shikamaru lounged beside him, hands in pockets, looking as usual bored out of his mind.

"Guys, what – what are you doing here?" she asked, astonished, hurriedly depositing Tsunade's coffee on her desk.

"New mission," Shikamaru yawned. "How troublesome."

"We're s'posed to track down some wild wolves in the forest," Choji explained. "They've been causing trouble for the village, see… Wanna come, Ino?"

She lowered her eyes. "I…have a lot of work to do," she lied. There was disappointment in his expression.

"You sure? We haven't worked as Ino-Shika-Cho in a long time…"

_And maybe we won't, ever again…_

"Maybe next time," she said without looking at them. It pained her to see her strong friends lingering, just for her. _I'm not worth it, please…_

Choji frowned. "You feelin' okay, Ino? You don't look yourself."

Ino hastily turned her head away. "I'm fine, just…a little swamped right now, okay? I'll see you guys after your mission." She practically pushed them out the door – not an easy feat, considering Choji dug in his heels and stared at her.

"But Ino…"

Ino flashed her winning smile. "Bye! Good luck!"

The boys meandered uncertainly down the hall as she stared after their backs. "Man, this is why I hate women…" Shikamaru muttered.

Ino closed the door, leaning against it with a long breath. _I'm sorry,_ she silently apologized to her friends. _I won't drag anyone down any further…_

"Ino."

She jerked her head up in surprise to see the Hokage standing in front of her, one hand on her hip. Tsunade lifted her chin with a manicured finger, studying her a long moment. Her amber gaze was surprisingly gentle.

"You have been working hard lately," she murmured. "Leave the paperwork. You can take the afternoon off."

"But – but Lady Hokage-!" Ino stopped herself, eyes lowering. _This is what I wanted after all, isn't it?_

She sighed, conceding, "Okay." She cast around the room before reaching for the door handle. Hesitating, she added, "Lady Hokage, I'm sorry."

Then she swept out of the office, not waiting for the Hokage's reaction.

***

Wandering the training grounds had been Ino's attempt to get her mind off her sudden depression. However, as she watched the young children shrieking and running around, playing ninja, a wave of nostalgia washed over her. She had once been one of those young prospects – carefree, confident, looking ahead to the future with clear, innocent eyes.

Ino bypassed the fields with a sigh, her mind wandering as her feet guided her. She didn't know what she was looking for out here – some reason to dissuade her choice, maybe. Back home, she knew, her mother was operating their family flower shop. She would be welcome to assist, in a domain where no one but her family could rule. That career prospect was looking more and more appealing; no one judged you as a simple shopkeeper. There was no weakness in cutting, caring for, and arranging flowers. Only beauty – in the sweet fragrances, the delicately arranged colors – would make her customers' faces light up in delight.

_And yet…_

Her footsteps lingered and she awakened from her daydream to see she had wandered deep into the forest. There was light filtering through the trees up ahead – a clearing. As she crept nearer she heard the steady rasp of breathing, the continual soft pounding of someone striking a dummy.

Ino peered through the branches and stared in recognition. Wasn't that the Hyuga prodigy? Long hair flared out as he whirled as easily on his heels as a dancer, his fingertips glancing off the dummy fast as lightning. She blinked and already he was coming in from the other side, face streaked with sweat, his pale eyes narrowed, the surrounding muscles in his face tensed.

She watched him in awe for a moment, breath bated. His movements were mesmerizing; she had never seen a technique so precise, so deadly, so beautiful up close. Ino leaned forward for a better view; branches crackles beneath her hands and her eyes widened.

He had stopped a moment, falling back, observing the dummy as he readied for his next assault. He didn't glance in her direction; his hands were raised, chakra flickering from his fingertips.

"Is there something you want," his murmuring voice broke sharply through the stillness, "Yamanaka?"

There was no point in hiding; Ino suspected his eyes had caught her the moment she'd stopped to watch him, maybe even before. Intimidated, she stepped nervously out into the open, unable to keep her eyes from him.

"Neji-san…" She hurriedly apologized, "I didn't mean to interrupt…"

"We are on the edge of Hyuga territory," he said. "What brings you so far out here?"

"I was just walking and lost track of where I was going," she announced, flustered. Her cheeks flushed; what an excuse to give a Hyuga!

Neji paused, lowering his hands. "What caused you to lose track?"

Ino jumped, suddenly on guard. _Why does he want to know?_

Slowly he turned to face her; the contorted muscles around his eyes eased, and he regarded her with a steady stare. "Your mind," he mused, "is heavy. I can sense it."

_I can't hide anything from him...!_ Ino glanced away. "It's really nothing…"

Neji merely tilted his head slightly, observing her. "I've seen you around often," he mused. "You are the teammate of Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji, are you not?"

She nodded timidly. _Of course, the three of them worked together on the mission to retrieve Sasuke… _The fact that Neji, a skilled jonin already and master of his clan's techniques, stared her down was enough to send shivers down her spine. But another aspect lingered in her mind – the only time she had seen his skills in action was during the chunin exams all those years ago, when he'd ruthlessly attacked his own cousin. He'd nearly killed Hinata… There was something of a cold aura around him, and Ino unconsciously stepped back.

"I'm sorry to intrude on your training," she mumbled again. "I'll just leave – really –"

"No."

Neji faltered after the sudden strength of his reply, stating quietly, "I was nearly finished anyway." He hesitated, then went on, "We were all together as genin. We've grown apart since then…"

"I know," she responded automatically, having thought long on the matter herself. "We hardly get missions together anymore. Everything's changed – everyone's so strong now." She broke off with a gasp; she hadn't meant to admit her fear out loud.

"Three years," Neji murmured. "And yet, we are different people from then."

"Yeah…" _Everyone, that is, except for me…_

"I remember," he said suddenly, "you're the one rivals with Naruto's teammate – Haruno, was it?"

Her heart panged and she glanced away. "That's all I ever am…compared to Sakura-chan. You've probably heard how she's training under Lady Hokage herself."

Neji nodded. "She healed me once, after a mission." He indicated his ankle, which Ino had earlier noticed swathed in bandages. "She is a skilled medic."

Ino nodded bitterly. _I'm a medic ninja too, but no one ever cares for my skills…_

Neji was staring at her thoughtfully. "Something happened between you two," he commented. "I see it in your eyes."

Everyone was intruding in her mind – trying to decipher her feelings. Her teammates, the Hokage… Ino snapped.

"Look, you don't have to pity me just because she's so much better, all right?" She choked back a furious sob. "I'm nothing! I used to be the strongest – and now I'm nothing!"

Neji allowed her to rant, finally tapering off with a gasp. Ino's face flushed as she realized she was screaming her inner fears at him –

"I'm sorry," she hastened. "I didn't mean –"

Turning away in silence, Neji paced to the training dummy. Ino wondered if she'd offended him with her rampage. Inside, she was dying of embarrassment; hesitantly she probed him.

"Um…Neji-san…?"

"It's strange," he murmured, gently prodding the dummy between the eyes. "I see myself in you."

That stopped her in her tracks. Ino gaped at him.

"Wh-what?"

Without turning around, Neji continued. "Once, we both stood on top. You faced your rival; I…thought myself superior to the Hyuga heiress." He stopped, glancing back at her. "The tables turned on us both. This is what Naruto taught me, long ago… That we alone have to power to change our destinies. You are not Haruno," he said, rather sharply. Ino flinched as though the words burned; but then, in a softer tone, he continued, "And she is neither you, correct?"

"I…guess…" His logic made a sort of sense to her, beyond the fog in her mind.

"All this time," he concluded, "you've been chained down by your desire to be like her – to regain what you once had."

"I'll never be as strong as her or as good a medic," Ino mumbled. "I know that now. That's why I've decided – I'm not going to do it anymore. I'm going to quit being a ninja."

"That is your choice," Neji said. "I only know that to break free – to be truly yourself – you must forge your own path."

Ino regarded him, eyes wide. His words penetrated her with a clarity she hadn't thought possible, clearing the way in her mind. Here they stood, practically strangers, yet he understood her more than perhaps her best friends did. She was drawn to him; drawn to the truth in his every soft, carefully chosen word.

Incredulous that she'd find in him a confidant, she spluttered. "But you've never been weak like me – you've always been one of the strongest, Neji-san!"

Neji closed his eyes, his lips quirked at a wry smile. "You measure strength in a peculiar way," he mused. "For a long time, my heart was weak. It was only when I realized I didn't have to always compete – that I could use my abilities for others – my vision changed."

_Wasn't that why… _Ino remembered, at a distance, her own sworn oath. _…I chose to become a medic-nin, to help others… So that even if I couldn't always be the strongest…_

Ino finally smiled – a true smile, alighting her entire visage with its glow, her bright azure eyes glistening. "Thank you, Neji-san," she mumbled. "I didn't think anyone could understand how I was feeling. But you helped, more than you know." She hesitated, then ran forward, swiftly embracing him.

Neji tensed in surprise – but then a faint smile crossed his face, and he gently set his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm glad."

***

Ino stood at attention in front of the Hokage's desk, nervous butterflies in her stomach. Her damp hands were clenched in front of her, worry in her eyes as she chewed her lip. Waiting.

Finally Lady Tsunade raised her head from the page-length report, her brow furrowed slightly.

"Is this true, Ino?"

"Yes, Milady," she said automatically, chin raised, eyes clear. "I've made my choice."

"Very well," Tsunade sighed, and she seemed to smile slightly.

"I'll allow you to return to Team Ten full time as a medic-nin. I have perfect confidence in your knowledge."

Ino bowed with a murmur of thanks and swept out of the office, smiling as a face surfaced in her mind. _You were right, Neji-san. It is really best to help people – and I'll protect those I love, no matter the cost._

The End

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